Shelly's Book Blog

I had a difficult time getting into The Death-Defying Pepper Roux, by Geraldine McCaughrean, but about half way through I finally caught on. The narrative keeps up a dizzying pace from that point on, and I had to work to keep all the characters and events straight. The main theme is that Pepper's aunt declared when he was a baby that he would not live past his 14th birthday. Supposedly, she had several dreams where a saint told her so. Pepper and his family believed all his life that his doom was sealed. The book begins, then, on his 14th birthday, and Pepper, understandably, does not want to die, so he is running away from his fate throughout the whole story. Pepper sees angels coming to take him to heaven in the most commonplace sights. I really enjoyed the way the author made this idea of people seeing what they want, or expect to see, rather than what is really there, come alive in her story.

I was also amazed that she was able to come up with such a complex and imaginative plot. McCaughrean is a gifted writer, adept at poetic description. All in all a good read, but not, I think, for the reluctant reader. This author demands attention.